


Trains, Kids, and Volleyball Coaches

by xhookswenchx (ReluctantPrincess)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-11-28 05:37:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18204242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReluctantPrincess/pseuds/xhookswenchx
Summary: Summary: Emma and Henry find themselves on a never ending train trip.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [searchingwardrobes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/searchingwardrobes/gifts).



“Take the train,” they said. “It’ll be fun,” they said. 

Well… Henry was having fun. There were plenty of kids on board for him to meet and play with. Mostly, he hung out in the viewing car and played cards and board games. So long as no one complained, she was content to let him run loose for the time being. 

After all, this  _ fun  _ trip was already three hours behind and they still had four stops and six more hours to go. 

So long as there were no more further delays. 

Right now, Emma  _ really  _ hated Mary Margaret for suggesting the train. 

It was an innocent enough suggestion. Emma needed to get to Storybrooke, and the train was much cheaper than flying. Now, she almost wished she’d gone into overdraft to get on a flight. 

An announcement played over the loudspeaker, indicating that they would be making their scheduled stop in about twenty minutes. With a sigh, Emma decided it was time to gather up Henry and get him down to the snack area so he could get some food before they closed up shop. 

“Mom!” Henry jumped up excitedly when he saw her. “Are we gonna get off the train at the next stop? My friend said there’s a Cinnabon there!”

“I’m glad you’re making friends,” Emma laughed. “But unfortunately not. It’s only a quick stop.” Henry’s face fell, making her feel like the worst mom in the world. “Tell you what, kid. When we get to Portland, I’ll have Uncle David stop at the Cinnabon before he takes us home.”

Henry shrugged. “Okay. That works, I guess. How much longer before we get there?”

_ Too long,  _ she thought.

“We’ve got time,” she said instead. “Why don’t we get some snacks before they close, yeah?”

Eating was never a problem when it came to Henry. The kid would devour just about anything she set in front of him. 

She led him down to the snack area, a little annoyed to find it a bit crowded. Fortunately, it was just the tables that were occupied, and only two people stood in line in front of them. While they waited, Henry read the menu.

“I think I want a hot dog, some nachos, and a soda,” Henry decided. “Oh! Can I get a cookie too, mom? Can I?” 

“Sure, kid,” Emma shrugged. She silently begged her credit card to cooperate with her. When it was Henry’s turn to order, he turned to ask her if she wanted anything. “Just a cup of ice,” she said quickly. 

_ Ice was free.  _

Henry gave her a funny look, but continued with his order. After paying, she moved them to the side to wait. 

“Your hair is all crazy, mom,” Henry laughed when he looked at her. 

“Probably from the nap,” Emma said. It had taken her ages to get comfortable, so it was no wonder her hair was probably a mess. She could have sworn she heard someone chuckle at the back of the room. Sighing, she pulled out her ponytail and gathered her hair up as best she could. 

Henry laughed again when her rubber band snapped. 

“Dammit,” she grumbled. “That was my last one!”

She couldn’t exactly afford another rubber band, but it was ridiculously warm in their car and she wouldn’t make it another six hours. 

“Excuse me?” she asked the man who was getting Henry’s order ready. “You don’t by chance sell rubber bands here, do you?” Why not? They sold playing cards, headphones, and blankets. A rubber band wasn’t exactly an uncommon item.

“Sorry, ma’am,” he shook his head. 

“Thanks anyway,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound too irritated. It wasn’t  _ his  _ fault that Amtrak failed to see the necessity of carrying such an item on board. 

The man finished with their order shortly after that. Emma helped Henry gather up their order, then made her way back upstairs. 

As she led her son back to their seats, she heard someone rushing after her. “Wait!” he called.

Emma told Henry to go back to their seats, promising that she’d be there shortly. She was about to give the interrupter a piece of her mind. Didn’t he see she her hands were full? All she wanted to do was get back to her seat. 

But when she turned around, the words never came. Standing in front of her was the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. “Uh…” she stammered. “I uh… I’m gonna drop something.”

“Apologies, lass.” 

_ Oh God. He was British. _

“I couldn’t help but overhear your dilemma downstairs, and thought I could help.” He held up a keychain clip with several rubber bands hooked to it. “I’m a volleyball coach,” he explained. “And the girls are always losing or breaking their hair ties. So… I always try to keep some on hand.”

“Oh…” she smiled as he pulled off a rubber band and set it the small box that held ketchup packets and straws. “Thank you… I think you may have saved my life.”

“I won’t keep you any longer,” he promised. “See you around?” 

“Sure,” she nodded. “Next time my son gets hungry, probably.” Despite the fact that she  _ really  _ needed to get back to her seat, Emma didn’t want to move. “Emma…” she said dumbly. When he raised an eyebrow, she laughed. “My name is Emma.”

“Killian,” he said with a grin. “I’d shake your hand, but they both seem a bit full at the moment.”

“Right.”  _ Seats. She had to get back to their seats. _ “I… I gotta go.”

“Perhaps you and your boy would like to join me for dinner? I’ve got a reservation in the dining car. It wouldn’t be too much trouble to add you to it.” 

She’d love that, but her bank would never forgive her. “I uh-”

“My treat,” he promised. “I just… I don’t want to be seated with strangers, and you’re the only person I’ve known for more than thirty seconds.”

Her pride didn’t want her to say yes, but her stomach might revolt if she didn’t get something more than ice in her system. “Yeah,” she agreed. “We’ll meet you at…”

“Five,” he said. “My reservation’s at five.”

“See you then, Killian,” she said. 

He grinned, deep dimples appearing in his scruffy cheeks. And his eyes, his pretty, pretty, blue eyes…  _ did they just sparkle?  _

“I look forward to it.” 

As Emma made her way back to Henry, she wondered how she was going to explain that she’d just made a date with a man who carried around rubber bands like it was his job. 

After setting her son up with his lunch, Emma pulled her hair back and sighed in relief when it was finally off her neck.

“Where’d you get the rubber band, mom?” Henry asked. “They said they didn’t have any.”

“Not all heroes wear capes, kid.”

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Part two of my little bitty ficlet. Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Henry is an oblivious and enthusiastic over-sharer.

Henry frowned as he looked over the menu. Killian tried not to laugh when he complained about the lack of hot dogs. 

“Since when have you ever had a problem with food?” Emma asked.

“I hear the chili is great,” Killian offered. “And it comes with a dinner roll. You might not believe it, but they might just be the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

“You’ve been here before?” Henry asked. He seemed almost bewildered at the idea that anyone made a habit of traveling by train.

“Aye,” he nodded. “I find train travel to be a good way to see the country. So, during the summer, I usually take a trip down to visit my brother in Florida. I have the time, so delays aren’t usually a problem.”

“We came from Florida!” Henry said excitedly. 

“Really now?” 

“Yeah. Mom got divorced though, so we’re moving to Maine with my aunt and uncle.” 

“Henry!” 

”Your secret’s safe with me,” he assured them both. I take it you’re headed to Portland?”

“Storybrooke,” Henry supplied. 

“Yeah,” she said, giving Henry the kind of look that only an annoyed mother could give. “Storybrooke.”

“Hmm…” 

Storybrooke wasn’t too far from Portland. Just as he was about to tell her, the waiter arrived at their table. Henry happily ordered the chili Killian had suggested, and Emma did the same. Wanting to make it easy on the waiter, who looked incredibly overworked, Killian opted for the chili as well.

“Where do you live?” Henry asked, once the waiter left. 

“I’m really sorry,” Emma sighed. “He’s just-“

“Cooped up on a train and in desperate need of some conversation?” Killian suggested. 

“I was going to say curious about everything,” Emma shrugged, “but that works too.”

Henry wrinkled his nose when Emma whispered something in his ear. Killian could only assume she was trying to get him to quiet down some. Not that he minded the questions or chatter. He could see where a mother might get a bit annoyed though.

“I live in Portland,” he said when Emma was done talking to her son.

He could see the look in Henry’s eyes. There was something more he wanted to say, and he was having an internal debate on whether or not it was worth risking the wrath of his mother.

“Does everyone in Portland have an accent like you?”

Emma groaned, but Killian laughed out loud. “I’m actually from England, lad,” he said. “Moved here along with my brother about five years ago. He wound up getting a job that sent him to Florida, and I started teaching in Maine.”

It was the one thing he hated about living in the states. In England, he and Liam were never far apart. Here, the opportunities just seemed to come with miles between them. 

“Sounds like you miss your brother,” Emma said softly. 

“Aye,” he nodded. “And my niece. Thankfully, teaching allows me free summers, but I can’t wait for Liam’s contract to be up. He’s planning on moving back up north and finding a place closer to me.”

“That sounds cool,” Henry stated. He fell silent when their food arrived, content to try everything on his plate. 

 

As much as Killian enjoyed Henry’s questions, the distraction gave him a chance to talk to Emma. He’d been smitten from the moment he first laid eyes on her, and was more than pleased when she’d accepted his dinner invitation. 

 

“Are you from Maine?” Killian asked. 

 

“I’ve actually never been there,” she admitted. “I grew up in Boston and then followed my ex down to Florida. My brother got married and they moved to my sister-in-law’s home town. So…” she shrugged. “Guess you could say I’ve got nowhere else to go.”

He could tell she wasn’t the type to ask for help. He’d been able to get that much from her reluctance to accept his dinner invitation. “You seem a bit less thrilled than Henry,” he commented. Emma shrugged again. “Well… if you’d like, I could always show you around sometime.” 

“Can we go to the Zoo?” Henry chimed in, his plate now clean. “Uncle David says it’s great.” 

“Kid…” 

“Why don’t we wait until you’re all settled in,” Killian suggested. “Then we can talk about it again.” 

Henry seemed satisfied by the answer, and Emma seemed relieved. 

“I’m done,” Henry stated, as though it weren’t obvious. “Can I go back and watch a movie?” 

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Emma asked.

“Oh yeah!” Henry exclaimed. “Thank you Mister Jones! Do you wanna come watch movies with us now?” 

Killian didn’t want to answer without approval from Emma. Henry’s enthusiasm and openness to share everything seemed to make her just a bit uncomfortable. He glanced at her, ready to come up with a reasonable excuse should she say no.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw her tiny nod. 

“I’ll be there shortly, lad,” he assured him.

Satisfied, Henry darted out of the dining car and back towards his seat. 

“He likes meeting new people,” Emma explained. “And I guess he likes you, but Killian…”

“You’re not looking for a date,” he finished for her. “I can understand that.”

“It was a pretty ugly divorce,” she mumbled.

“But you’re still moving into a new area where you don’t know anyone,” he reminded her. “It couldn’t hurt to have a friend or two outside of your family.” He wanted so much more than friendship, though he couldn’t understand why. He’d only known her a short period of time, yet he could see a future with her.

A future she wasn’t ready for. 

Especially since the future she’d counted on had ended so miserably. 

She eyed him suspiciously, but agreed. “I guess it couldn’t hurt to have a friend.” 


End file.
